In many types of computer networks, it is desirable to be able to perform certain management related functions (e.g., configuring, performing diagnostic functions, debugging, software upgrades, etc.) on a computer or other form of processing system from a remote location. One important management function is troubleshooting the processing system to prevent errors and/or fix errors that have occurred.
One particular application in which it is desirable to have this capability is in a storage-oriented network, i.e., a network that includes one or more storage servers that store and retrieve data on behalf of one or more storage clients. Such a network may be used, for example, to provide multiple users with access to shared data or to backup mission critical data. An example of such a network is illustrated in FIG. 1.
FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional network architecture 100, in which a conventional customer environment 105 is connected with a conventional enterprise environment 110 via a public network 145, such as the Internet. The conventional customer environment 105 includes a conventional storage server 115, a storage subsystem 155, a network 125, one or more storage clients 160, a support console 120, an administration console 165 and a firewall 130 (e.g., a firewall located at a customer site). The conventional enterprise environment 110 can be an environment of, for example, a service provider (e.g., a technical support service provider), and includes a conventional support server 135 connected with a firewall 140. Firewall 140 can be located at an enterprise site, such as a support service enterprise site. The support console 120 disposed within the conventional customer environment 105 enables the conventional storage server 135 to provide remote support services to the conventional storage server 115 via the public network 145.
Referring to the conventional customer environment 105, the conventional storage server 115 is coupled locally with storage subsystem 155, which may include a set of mass storage devices managed by the conventional storage server 115. The mass storage devices in the storage subsystem 155 may be, for example, conventional magnetic disks, optical disks such as CD-ROM or DVD based storage, magneto-optical (MO) storage, or any other type of non-volatile storage devices suitable for storing large quantities of data, and may be organized into one or more volumes of Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks (RAID).
The conventional storage server 115 is connected with support console 120 and the one or more storage clients 160 via network 125. The conventional storage server 115 operates on behalf of the storage clients 160 to store and manage shared files or other units of data (e.g., blocks) in the set of mass storage devices. Each of the storage clients 160 may be, for example, a conventional personal computer (PC), workstation, or the like.
Administrative console 165 is coupled to the conventional storage server 115 via a communication port (e.g., RS-232) and a transmission line that allow direct communication between the conventional storage server 115 and the administrative console 165. This configuration enables a network administrator to perform management functions on the conventional storage server 115. However, in many network environments, the network administrator may not be able to perform such functions as identifying potential problems before they occur and troubleshooting potential or existing problems. This may be because the network administrator may not have a complete understanding of certain processing systems (e.g., conventional storage system 115) on the network, which may be manufactured by third parties. Often, in order to solve hardware and software issues with the processing systems, the network administrator must contact the third party manufacturer.
To address this issue, some conventional customer environments 105 include support console 120. Support console 120 can identify potential problems of the conventional storage server 115 based on preset thresholds. The support console 120 may also cause a notification to be sent to conventional support server 135 if a problem is identified. However, in order for support console 120 to properly troubleshoot the conventional storage server 115, it must be correctly configured by a storage administrator for the conventional customer environment 105 in which it is to operate. Such configuration can be time consuming and difficult, and is often performed incorrectly. Failure to correctly configure the support console 120 may reduce the effectivity of the support console 120, or render it inoperable for its intended purpose. Moreover, since the support console 120 is external to the conventional storage server 115, there are many errors that are not detectable by the support console 120. For example, the support console 120 can detect that no health status message has been received from the conventional storage server 115, but cannot determine whether this is because the conventional storage server 115 has been disconnected from the network, or because the conventional storage server 115 has crashed. Therefore, there are errors that are not diagnosable by the support console 120.
Some conventional servers 115 include a conventional remote management module (RMM) 150. The conventional RMM 150 is often in the form of a dedicated circuit card separate from the other elements of the host conventional storage server 115 that has a network interface that connects to the network 125 and a separate internal interface that connects to one or more components of the conventional storage server 115. The conventional RMM 150 typically includes control circuitry (e.g., a microprocessor or microcontroller) which is programmed or otherwise configured to respond to commands received from a local administrator or support console 120.
However, the conventional RMM 150 can only provide remote support via the support console 120, or via a connection to a storage client 160 or administrative console 165 within the conventional customer environment 105. For the conventional RMM 150 to provide support, a support technician or the support console 120 must log in to the conventional RMM 150 from within the conventional customer environment 105. The conventional RMM 150 cannot initiate connections with any external computing devices, whether such computing devices are within the conventional customer environment 205 or external to the conventional customer environment 205. Nor does the conventional RMM 150 have a capability to communicate with the conventional support server 135. Moreover, the conventional RMM 150 also cannot communicate with the conventional storage server 115 to request access to logs, configuration files, core files, etc. stored by or on the conventional storage server 115.